the growing list of architecture firms who now pledge to stop work in russia

architects in solidarity with ukraine

zaha hadid architects (ZHA), herzog & de meuron, and david chipperfield architects are the latest to join a group of prominent firms that have pledged to suspend work on their projects in russia. the news follows the country’s invasion of ukraine last week, leading to an international effort to economically isolate moscow from the rest of the world. the two design firms have added their names to the list which so far includes bjarke ingels group / BIG, OMA, and MVRDV — teams who have either refused to continue work on ongoing projects, or released statements of solidarity with ukraine.

ZHA’s planned residential towers in moscow, expected to complete in 2028

(header image) zaha hadid’s dnipro metro stations in ukraine

zaha hadid architects

pledging to stop all work in russia, architecture firm zaha hadid architects (see more) says: ‘ZHA has worked in russia for four decades. zaha hadid was originally inspired by works of the russian avant-garde and many of our staff have taught architecture students at universities across the country.

‘we are deeply shocked and saddened by the conflict in ukraine and have placed our two ongoing projects in russia on hold. we have completed our contracted works on all other projects in the country and continue to monitor guidance from the uk government.’

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david chipperfield architects

david chipperfield architects (see more) says in a statement: ‘given the invasion of ukraine, and with the full understanding and support of our clients, david chipperfield architects has decided to suspend all work in russia.

‘we condemn the actions of putin and the russian government and stand in solidarity with ukraine and its people. as a practice we believe in dialogue, openness and engagement; values that are directly opposed to the ongoing war.

‘we call for an immediate end to this human tragedy and our thoughts are with the innocent victims of this unjustified action.’

herzog & de meuron

global architecture firm herzog & de meuron (see more) announces they will stop work in russia, saying in a statement: ‘the invasion of ukraine and the violent actions of putin and the russian government are against every value we hold as an international, collaborative practice. therefore, herzog & de meuron has decided to suspend our work on russian projects.

‘we do this with the understanding of our clients. we stand in solidarity with the people of ukraine as well as the citizens of russia who reject this violent takeover. as a company and community of over 40 different nationalities, our concern lies with both our ukranian and russian colleagues whom we support through this unprecedented crisis.

‘we remain hopeful that peace can be restored to this region as soon as possible.‘

mvrdv

MVRDV (see more) says in a statement published on monday: ‘as a practice, we are affected twofold. our projects in ukraine have sadly been put on hold by the atrocities. right after the start of the invasion, we began contacting our ukrainian friends and partners in support and we try to remain in touch.’

they are brave and they are experiencing incredible hardship. we have stopped our russian projects, even though this means we have to stop collaborating with people we have known for years, and who are dedicated to bringing a more collaborative international outlook to russia.’

bjarke ingels group / big

bjarke ingels group / BIG stands in solidarity with ukraine, continuing in a statement: ‘BIG joins the international community in solidarity with the ukrainian people, our colleagues, friends, and families in the region. BIG is not engaged in any projects in russia or for the russian government anywhere and our support for ukraine’s sovereignty, democracy, human rights, and territorial integrity is unwavering.’

BIG (see more) notes that it is not engaged in any projects in russia at the present time.

UNstudio

in a statement, UNStudio (see more) ‘condemns the inhumane actions’ of the russian government, pledging to stop architecture work in russia: ‘UNStudio is deeply saddened by the russian government’s violent invasion of ukraine, and we strongly condemn these inhumane actions. we stand with the people of ukraine — especially our colleagues who are directly and indirectly impacted by this turmoil.

‘we support those across russia and beyond who are affected by the russian government’s decisions.

‘we are currently considering how best to handle this situation and are assessing the impact it has on our staff and projects in both countries.‘